DISCOURSE XXVII.

THE HIDDEN TREASURE.

MATT. xiii. 44.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; which, when a man hath found, he bideth; and for joy thereof goeth and felleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

THOUGH our Lord, in the days of his flesh,

was pleased to fpeak in parables, yet he delivers his doctrine in fuch a plain manner, uses fuch easy comparisons, and with fuch an inimitable fimplieity, that the peafant and herdfman, the little child and fervant-maid can be as capable of understanding and comprehending his mind, as the most learned and ftudious philofopher on earth.

He did it, out of his infinite wifdom, to destroy the wisdom of the wife; and to fet at nought, and baffle, and bring to nothing, the understanding of the prudent.

He would not leave room for the wife man to glory in his wifdom before him; nor give an occafion for the ignorant to complain, because he had not the gift of knowledge, or figh under the disadvan tages of a flender education; for however a folid judgment, letters, ftudy, books, and fciences, may be valuable in refpect of other matters, they help not often in the matter of falvation; nor have the

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most understanding and witty men been always best; but fome, to their hurt, have found that true, "The world by wisdom knew not God." On the other hand, many unlearned perfons, and men in other refpects weak and unknowing, have found that wifdom which is from above, and been wise in the fight of God.

If the wife, the thinking, and studious would stoop to learn of Jefus, their knowledge in earthly things would not hinder them to be faved; but if they are refolved to judge of divine truths by their carnal reafon, and to difbelieve and doubt of what furmounts their comprehenfion, and of all that is not according to the nature of things, they must be no Chriftians, but are in a fair way to plunge into the abyfs of Atheifin, and lofe the real enjoyment of God their Saviour here and hereafter. So if the poor fervant in the house, or the fhepherd upon the mountains, is disposed for eternal life, his ignorance fhall not prevent him to become a child of God. The Holy Spirit, and Jefus the true light, will teach him wifdom fecretly, and make him experience and feel in his heart the inconceivable happinefs of the faints, and joy unfpeakable. He fhall be well fatisfied of his fafe condition, and be inly affured he has a part in the kingdom of God in worlds

to come.

To the infincere, whether wife or unwife, the gofpel is a book closed; and when one gives it to the unlearned, and fays, Read it, I pray thee; he fays, I cannot do it, because I am unlearned: and when it is given to the learned, he answers, I cannot read it, for it is fealed. Hence it is that fo many look upon the fcriptures as a book of myfteries which very few understand, and the way to be faved a difficult and intricate matter, and fo live willingly ignorant of the things which make for their peace,

and

and neglect fo great falvation; but elfe the way to heaven is plainly marked out, and the direction of the Leader of the people is fo written, that " he that runs may read, and a fool need not err in the highway of holiness."

As I faid before, all the parables of our Saviour are legible, and plain, and fimple; and whoever wants to understand, let him do as the difciples, who asked their Lord privately, and they fhall be taught of God, and find reft to their fouls.

The kingdom of God cannot be easily likened to things temporal, and this made our Saviour feem to be at a lofs unto what to compare it; but then, in many refpects, he has compared it to things common, because of the infirmity of our flesh. Who can truly defcribe light to one blind, or make the deaf know what are founds? or who can make a natural man fenfible of the fpiritual life, of the manifefting of Chrift within the heart, and of his kingdom, which is not of the world?

The beginning of Chriftianity is trusting Jefus ; he has continually preached of the kingdom, and which he fays is within you. His witneffes are without number, who have entered it and poffeffed it in the earth, and who have fealed it with their blood, and confirmed it in their last moments, that "the kingdom of God is come, and his tabernacle is with men." It is one while compared to a marriage which a king made for his fon; another time to feed fown in a field; and at another time to a net caft into the fea, which gathered of every kind, bad and good; at another time to a man who let out his vineyard to husbandmen; at another time to a merchant seeking goodly pearls; and, in the text, to "treasure hid in a field.”

The whole gofpel is full of these parables; for "without a parable Jefus fpake not to the people."

He did it that he might fulfil the prophets, "I have ufed fimilitudes." And again, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept fecret from the foundation of the world." Thus he had done during the difpenfation of the law, which, with all its ordinances and ceremonies, was dark and typical of the kingdom which was to come. When he spake to the fathers, before his coming in the flesh, he used this way, and gave them vifions, dreams, and figns, by which he made known his will. The neceffity of blood-fhedding under the law was to fignify, that "without fhedding blood there was no remiffion:" the exhibiting the victims upon the altars, the lambs and calves, &c. were figures of that Lamb, who fhould be fhewn upon the cross à fpectacle to angels and men; and, after the fame manner, all the doctrines and rites delivered by Mofes, pointed out Jefus and the redemption. Hofea must take to him an adulterefs, and marry her before the children of Ifrael, as a fign that the Lord was an hufband to an adulterous people. Ezekiel must see a valley full of dry bones, whereby the Lord would exprefs the state of his church; he must prophecy to them, and they lived; to fignify that by his fervant's miniftry he would raife them up to a new life, and recover them, though now fo dead and dry.

Again; he is taught by the fimilitude of a newborn infant caft out in the open field, in a deplorable and unpitied condition, the fall; and, by the Lord's paffing by and feeing it in its blood, and faying to it, Live, entering into a covenant with it, fwearing to it, &c. cloathing, washing, and adorning it with fine linen aud gold, the free falvation is meant, and the happy and good eftate we are brought into by means of the New Testament, which our Saviour has made with us and confirmed by an oath.

Jeremiah,

Jeremiah, by feeing the potter work, understood how all were made at firft by the good Creator; and, when marred or broken, he faw how he did not caft the veffel away, but made it new, a veffel that pleafed him; namely, that though the world was now like a broken and marred veffel, it was yet in a merciful Creator's hands, who would renew it in righteousness, and be their Saviour.

Daniel muft fee vifions of the captivity, and of the Meffiah; and in this way generally the Lord fpake to the prophets. Nor did this way of communicating the divine will ceafe, till by the death of the Lord the vail was rent in two, and a new and living way opened into the holy place. From which time all the apoftles and minifters of Jefus Christ have used great plainnefs of fpeech, and not done as Mofes. They declare openly, Jefus is the Lord; and that forgivenefs of fins, repentance, and the gift of the Holy Ghoft, are received freely by. all who believe in his name.

In my difcourfe therefore I would willingly open this parable of the treasure; and as I have juft mentioned a few of the figurative vifions and figns of the prophets before the incarnation of Chrift, fo it may not be amifs to do the fame in respect of fome of the many parables which are in the gofpel, and even in that chapter out of which I have taken the text, because it may help to give a light into others of the fame nature.

When the kingdom is compared to the marriageof the king's fon, it refpects that marriage of the Lamb mentioned in the Revelations, and in other parts of the fcripture. The King is the Father of our Lord Chrift the King of kings; the Son is the Lamb, who will take his bride out of the earth, and invites all to this wedding; the fupper is already prepared; the bride, his elect, is chosen and making

herfelf